Top 30 free programs , last updated July 17th 2010
The following is a list of 30 freeware programs that cannot live without. Wanted this to be the one page a reader can turn to get all the essential free programs they need to install on a new computer. This list doesn’t cover the best free program in every conceivable category, but for those categories that are represented the programs showcased here in most cases, I would argue, are best-in-class.
1- Everything: desktop file search that will transform the way you use your PC
2- Launchy: my favorite launcher
3- LastPass: centralized, cloud-based password manager
4. Dexpot: the world’s most advanced free virtual desktop app
5- Imgburn: simple yet powerful CD/DVD burning software
6- Avast: solid, effective free antivirus
7- ThreatFire: powerful, memory-resident AntiSpyware protection
8- Mikogo: easy screen sharing and remote access application
9- Sizer: right click “minimize” to snap windows to pre-defined sizes
10- PeaZip: powerful archiving tool to manage ZIP, RAR, and more than 120 compression formats
11- VUE: a visual environment for ideas, notes, thoughts, and everything else.
12- SuperCopier: accelerate, pause, and resume file copying and moving operations
13- FastStone Image Viewer: a versatile, practical image viewer
14- uTorrent: powerful, lightweight Torrent client
15- Q-Dir: small yet versatile multiple-pane file management app
16- PDF-XChange Viewer: the best free PDF document viewer
17- The KMPlayer: the only media player you will ever need
18- Partition Wizard: partition manager and hard drive maintenance tool
19- Send to Toys: add any folder to Windows’ send-to context menu
20- OpenOffice.org: excellent free MS Office alternative
21- FileMenu Tools: enhance your right-click context menu with a wide range of tools
22- Handbrake: converts DVD’s to media files for your PC, iPhone, or portable media
device
23- Revo Uninstaller: removes all traces of an uninstalled program
24- Mp3Tag: powerful audio tag management tool
25- DVDFlick: convert video files to DVD
26- WinSCP: powerful FTP client
27- CCleaner: reliable hard drive and registry cleaner
28- FeedDemon: excellent RSS reader with Google Reader support
29- PDFCreator: convert any document to PDF or image formats
30- FreeFileSync: powerful folder comparison and synchronization tool
Some notes before proceeding:
- Download links: for each program are provided at the end of each mini-review.
- Installing software: a lot of software tends to bundle other software, typically Yahoo, Bing, and Ask toolbars, in their installers; the good news is that you can always uncheck these options during the installation and disallow this, so pay attention when you install and uncheck anything you don’t want.
- The sorting order: don’t put too much meaning into it, as comparing most of these programs to each other is very much an exercise in comparing oranges and apples.
- Windows 7 64 bit: all programs listed here are guaranteed to be 64bit Win7 friendly (as well as 32bit XP, Vista, or Win7). In the case that they may exhibits some quirks or incompatibility it is indicated in the text below.
